An Almost Fluff Fic
by Delphina
Summary: Vinny finally finds love in Atlantis, but it's not exactly what he expected...


An Almost Fluff Fic  
By Delphina, AKA Rocketwolf  
  
Author's note: Vinny, other characters and Atlantis are not mine, as much as I wish they were. However, the story here is original and may not be  
reproduced without my permission. For further details, e-mail me at  
Y2krachael@aol.com.  
  
He'd given up on love almost fifteen years ago. It was a recurring thought to Vincenzo Santorini as he swung on a loosely strung hammock by a crystal lagoon-everyday. Ever since the rest of the team left him here in Atlantis, saying he was "needed", he had nothing to do but sit in that hammock and stare at his reflection in that water. It hadn't changed. He looked the same as he did fifteen years in the past, thanks to the crystal. The Atlantean crystal. The same black hair, the same moustache, the same dark complexion, the same tall, thin stature. Wait-he had changed. He'd kept his beloved gloves, but ditched his normal sweater in replace for Atlantean garb, a simple vest that revealed most of his upper torso, and baggy "pants" that consisted of nothing more than a few pieces of cloth that hung from a string around his waist. They were comfortable in the tropical heat of Atlantis, and aside from the top, the clothes were pretty modest. They covered him up. He'd also removed his crystal from his ear. It was a little bit inconvenient there. Now it swung on a leather string on his neck. Oh, and he sported a set of tiger-like markings up his left arm. He'd almost forgotten about them.  
Some may have said that Vinny was living in the lap of luxury. Well, he was. Or so he thought, for the first couple of years. He had everything a normal person would dream of. Personal servants. Food. A private pool. Fancy transportation. Well, he had everything a normal person would dream of, except girls. There was a significant lack of them in Atlantis. They all had boyfriends, or simply refused to put up with anyone from the outer world. So besides that, Vinny had the world on a silver platter. But he didn't really like it. Nothing to blow up. Those darn Atlanteans clung to their past so tightly they couldn't even give up a pile of rocks or two. They were so afraid it was gonna die. But yet, they were picky about letting people in to see the culture. A limit of what, one every five years? He guessed, if you're gonna live for twenty thousand years, you wouldn't want people coming in so fast. They'd be like rabbits. The island was only so big. Vinny longed so bad to get his hands on some dynamite, to push that plunger, to hear that lovely boom that was like a heavenly choir to him.  
Today he sat in his hammock, staring at himself in the glimmering water. That is, until a private messenger told him to report to King Milo's palace to welcome a new arrival. He slid out of the net, landing on all fours in a beastlike crouch. He held it for a few seconds. Nothing better to do with his time. And what was sad was that he was good at it. He was the Incredible Vinny. Now, when he was in the mood, he practiced his front flip into the lagoon. But with his tall, lanky build, it was near to impossible.  
He rose to his feet in a fluid motion, and casually started to trot around the lagoon to the archway that opened up into a trail that lead to the main city. To heck with the trail. To his right were three giant stone fish. A marlin, a piranha, and Vinny's personal favorite, a tuna. It had been waiting for him when he returned to Atlantis as a kind of gift. The tuna came equipped with a laser beam, the kind he'd discovered the day he saved Atlantis. Milo saved Atlantis. With Vinny's help. That was another thing that bugged him. He was getting to be full of himself. He'd never get a girl that way. He hit the tuna with a tight fist and headed out onto the trail.  
  
It had been fifteen years. She fumbled around on her dresser for her choker, which contained a glowing crystal. She found it, and put it on for the first time in fifteen years. In the mirror, she gazed at her reflection. She was so different-she was a little taller, but still very short, and her hair was a little longer. As a whole, she had visibly become more mature, developing into a beautiful, yet rugged woman. The light illuminated her soft features as she grinned into the mirror. It would keep her young for what would probably seem like eternity. Good. She needed eternity. Someone was waiting.  
  
Vinny arrived at the marketplace just before evening. The shop owners were busy taking their food down from the display shelves that, in the daytime, proudly showed off their prize catch. It reminded Vinny of his home. In Sicily. Some of his earliest memories were of his mother taking him to the market to get fish and whatnot. The only thing missing was the sunset. Down below the water, a gradual dimming of the blue light passed for a sunset. It was hard to get a tan in Atlantis. But boy, was it hot. The underwater bubble was like a giant greenhouse. It trapped heat. And all the water didn't help. Atlantis may have been in a greenhouse, but when was the last time you saw a greenhouse with fluffy pink clouds?  
Maybe when Vinny left the hose on in his greenhouse at home on a hot day. Well, the clouds weren't fluffy. More fog-ish. His mamma hated it.  
Ah, just another typical night in Atlantis. Lights on the main hill of Atlantis started to wink on, like so many stars at night. Vinny missed the stars. He missed them so much he had started to work out constellations in the hill. There was the Great Lobster, the Little Crab, the Flying Fish, and more formations of lights that had tacky names of aquatic creatures. And then there was the Center Light. It was the top of the right antenna of the Great Lobster, and the home of King Milo. King Milo-who had condemned Vinny to his life of boredom. Milo, for some reason, was starting to get a little overprotective of Atlantis. After the Rourke incident, Atlantis was under heavy guard. Bodyguards, soldiers, stone giants, you name it. If it could keep Atlantis safe, it was there. And to think, Queen Kida didn't want anyone to become nearly as overprotective as her father. Well, too bad for her.  
Maybe Vinny would go up to talk to him. Give himself something productive to do. It was a bit of a walk up the hill, but it was scenic, and he needed the exercise. Maybe something interesting would happen.  
  
Horns sounded like thunder across Atlantis in announcement of a newcomer. She had arrived at her destination. Hopping somewhat ungracefully out of her plane, she bowed before King Milo. She grinned, and gave him a big, friendly hug. "Welcome back," he said softly, and smiled. "Someone is waiting."  
  
When Vinny heard the horns, he jumped. Yeah, he'd heard them twice before, but still, they were loud. Very loud. And scary. Last time he heard them, they were soon to be followed by an annoying reporter who tried so hard to dig up dirt on Atlantis. Well, he never got very far. He had all of his "information", all of how Atlantis had taken prisoners and ate them every night as part of a religious ceremony, all ready to reveal to the world. But what he didn't know was that Atlantis had a very strict policy of return. The reporter quickly found his way into the lava pits. With Vinny's help, of course. He hated the thought of a guest not being offered the full services of their hosts. Oh, well. Tragedy.  
But something inside of him said it was someone important this time. What, he didn't know, but years of work as a demolition expert had taught Vinny to trust his instincts. Only your gut feeling could tell you if something was going to go off without warning. He learned the hard way. He stood in his tracks for a couple of seconds, and then broke into a run. His bare feet smacked the pathway as houses flew by. People called out to him as he passed.  
"Vincenzo! What is the rush?"  
"It is just the horns-have you not heard them before?"  
"Watch where you are going!"  
"Ketaks! Martags! Seventy gold pieces each! Fly off today!"  
Ah, a Ketak! He could use one. not exactly his tuna, but good enough. He skidded to a halt in front of the merchant. "Hey, Mister, can ah I use that? I, eh, have ah to meet someone. I think."  
"Rent one today for just ten gold pieces!"  
"Eh, sure." Vinny emptied his shoulder bag into the little man's hands and hurdled into the nearest fish. He ripped the crystal off his neck and inserted it into its slot. He gave it a quarter-turn and put his hand on the pad as the fish rose into the air. Then, like a mad horse, it rocketed off. He took a sharp turn around the stand and rose higher to the middle of the hill. And the fish started to jerk wildly. It bucked left, right, backwards, all while moving at about thirty or so miles per hour. And as far as control goes, Vinny had none. All he knew was that there was a solid wall coming straight for him. And then Vinny didn't know where he was.  
Oh, crap.  
"You are three gold pieces short, sir!"  
  
She found him dangling from a tree. Unconscious. His vest had gotten caught in one of the branches and he now hung limp about twenty feet from the ground. A crowd of people gathered around underneath him, examining the fallen Ketak and looking up in wonderment at the man in the tree. A few had called doctors, and they stood ready to catch him in case a fiber or two in the vest somehow came loose.  
She ran up to the tree and vigorously started to ascend its branches, gradually making her way towards the hanging man. Years of experience aided her in her climb. Her job at home required some climbing, and of course, all the adventures in her life had. A tree, no problem! She'd climbed a sheer cliff once, and it almost killed her, but she kept on enjoying the excitement and strength involved. And, of course, it was fun. She reached the man in a matter of minutes, and stretched out along the branch to gain balance. She reached her arm down and shook him lightly. No results. So she shook harder. Still none. And then she yelled down to the crowd.  
"Hey, can I get a little help here?!"  
The crowd was silent.  
"Huh?" she asked, exasperated. There was a slight rumble of voices.  
"You, there, with the brown cape!"  
"Madam, he owes me three gold pieces!"  
"NOW!" The mob started up again as the merchant rushed behind his stand to get a ladder. He propped it up on the roof and shakily and slowly pulled himself up to the top of it. "Get down, I can take it from here," she said, and swung around the branch, nearly hitting the tiny salesperson. He jumped back in surprise and slid down the ladder. He landed on the roof. She put her right foot on the second-to-last step of the ladder and her other one on a nearby branch. She wrapped her arms around the swinging man's chest and gave a firm tug, lost her balance when the ladder slid out from under her feet, and fell to the roof with an audible thud. The shopkeeper looked at her with a roll of his eyes.  
"Eh, what are you doin' down there, miss?" the man in the tree asked, dazedly.  
"Er." she said, climbing to her feet. "Trying to save you, but if it wasn't for Bozo over here, who put the ladder the wrong way-" She scowled as the man swung adroitly down from the branch to land beside her on the roof.  
"You're ah the new girl, right? 'Cause you seem ah a lil' bit too familiar wit' the crowd, you know. Ah, but nobody I know ever came back. Maybe."  
"What are the chances of that?" she said as she got to her knees and swung down from the roof. The man looked shocked for a second, but then followed.  
"Hey, miss, you're ah good at that. I was thinking, an' all, that I should at least ah help the lady, but I don' really think you're the type to need help."  
"Finally, someone besides King Milo who can cut the 'damsel in distress' crap. I think I like you already," she said, with a wink. "What's your name, anyway?"  
"Vinny. And yours?"  
She never answered him.  
  
She had been in Atlantis for just over two weeks now and Vinny had already fallen madly in love with this oddly beautiful woman. He loved just about everything about her: her jet black hair, her attitude, her confidence, her Spanish accent, the way she kept him hanging all the time. Anywhere he went, the mystery woman kept popping into his mind. And he liked it. Tonight he happened to be enjoying a nice stroll with her around his lagoon. Their crystals lit the way for them, providing a serene aqua- colored light. They walked close, talking about little things-the weather, and such, and home. Vinny was telling his story for the billionth time.  
"Well, I don' ah really know what happened. Pro'lly a gas leak or sometin' like ah that. An' I guess someone lit a match."  
"BOOM!" the woman finished. "And it was like a sign from-"  
"Wow! Can you read ah my mind? 'Cause I never met a psychic before. Tell me what ah I'm tinkin'."  
"That I'm a psychic." Vinny raised an eyebrow and walked on. He wanted to just explode and tell the lady all his feelings for her, but that would be tacky. But he felt so strongly for her..He longed so bad to just reach out and take her hand, to hold her tight. But he resisted, thinking the woman wouldn't really appreciate all the lovey-dovey stuff. Not now, yet. Maybe later. So it took him by surprise when he felt a gentile pressure on his fingertips. He gasped a little, but when she looked him right in the eyes, he interlaced his fingers with hers. He was elated.  
"Miss, I. I-I really like ah you. Everything about you. But wha's really weird is you remind ah me of ah someone. Someone from ah my past. An' I can't put my finger on it, really.. "  
"You remind me of someone. You're the one I've been looking for all my life." She turned to face him, to stare yet again into his eyes. Vinny stared back. Hers were almost unnaturally deep, dark, intriguing. He inched closer to her, taking her in his arms, lightly stroking her cheek with a gloved hand. She seemed to be lost in the moment, but who was to blame her? Certainly not Vinny. He enjoyed it as much as she did, if not more.  
"And I wouldn't ah let anytin' separate us. Not a million miles. Non une milone de miglia."  
"Y no un mil de vidas. Not a million lifetimes."  
Vinny leaned in for the kiss. "Oh, what's ah your name, again?"  
  
Vinny woke up. He wasn't in Atlantis. He wasn't with the mystery lady. He instead was around a campfire with his expedition crew. Everyone was fast asleep, and scattered snoring echoed among the rocks. The dying fire crackled warmly.  
He looked around him, panting slightly, and noticed that Audrey was sleeping peacefully inches away from where he lay. She was smiling.  
Vinny's eyes went wide. It was.  
Nah. Couldn't be. He closed his eyes and went back to sleep. 


End file.
